Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Next
Up: A
US drone has killed two “suspected Al Shabaab militants” ( or a
couple of guys in the wrong place at the wrong time ) in Somalia, as
the empire attempts to get a war going there as a backup in case the
need for random deaths in Pakistan and Yemen tapers off.

Sources
& Methods:
Self-confessed serial liars General Keith Alexander, director of
NSA, and James Clapper, Jr., the director of national intelligence,
today claimed that they had not collected tens of millions of phone
calls by French and Spanish citizens. They then went into detail
about how they happened to come by these phone calls - a
gift from admirers, apparently - explaining that their critics
didn't understand ... balderdash and bathwater. The
Witch Is Dead:
US wholesale prices dropped in September as food costs retreated, an
indication inflation remains tame. Try as it will, the Fed seems
incapable of pushing inflation up to its 2% target – much less
cause the dreaded runaway inflation so beloved of the GOP.

Victory:
The Congress has managed to cut nearly a million undeserving,
slothful veterans from the food stamp rolls, effective Friday. That
leaves about 46 million Americans on the dole, as the number
receiving food stamps continues to increase, even as employment
slowly recovers – another sign that millions of working Americans
don't make enough to feed their families. 76% percent of SNAP
households included a child, an elderly person, or a disabled person.
These vulnerable households receive 83 percent of all SNAP benefits.
Kicking those veterans off will really save money.

Retailing
Retail Sales:
Retail sales, less cars and gasoline, climbed just 0.4% in
September. Auto sales fell 5.1% m/m. Make up a story...

Asked
& Answers:
How Does the Global War on Terror Ever End? (a) It won't because it
creates more of 'the enemy' every day. (b) It cannot, because
terrorism is a process, not a person, place or thing. (c) It is not
intended to end, we need something to focus our daily two minutes of
hate on. Austerity:
No matter how emotionally satisfying it might be, cutting government
spending while the economy is floundering is the wrong thing to do.
It's basic: while belt tightening during hard times is a Good Idea
for individuals, it is a Terrible Idea for the economy. If everyone
stops demanding, there will be no demand, thus no production. If,
however, the government steps in and gives individuals some money to
spend, presto, changeo: demand. Sure it may create a little
inflation – so you get to pay back your house mortgage with cheaper
dollars. Good for you,
bad for Daddy Warbucks. Which explains why those guys keep
pushing austerity, not stimulus.

Win
Some, Lose Some:
Measures to prevent and treat head trauma have cut the incidence of
“brain death” by half in the last decade. Which is good. A side
effect, however, is a matching loss of transplant organs.

I saw and thought the same as CKM, that was a long time ago in a society far less technological.

I don't think we have to worry too much if push comes to shove as far as a civil war. The military will fracture with units going to either or all sides. But a grassroots uprising against a 'tyrant' is the stuff of tea-fairy tales and marketing by the NRA.

but i ,for one, am not willing to unilaterally give up any...ANY... of the bill of rights..and right now under NDAA and the fisa fiasco an the NSA gross intrusion into all... ALL....ALL..... aspects of our private lives, the bill of rights is being dismembered.... i would respectfully suggest you reconsider what is, or is not, as you have called it, a fairy tale...seems more to me like we have embarked on a nightmare...a nightmare that seems to be larger than our elected officials

and i say this as a person who likes my president, my congressman and my two senators, all of whom, i worked for, as a volunteer to elect!!!

Our Motto

Keep fightin' for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don't you forget to have fun doin' it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth. Be outrageous, ridicule the fraidy-cats, rejoice in all the oddities that freedom can produce. And when you get through kickin' ass and celebratin' the sheer joy of a good fight, be sure to tell those who come after how much fun it was.